To the Beloved, the Redeemed, The Church, the Body of believers:

Our Lord has washed us and cleansed us from all unrighteousness and, positionally, we stand righteous before Him due to the atoning work of Jesus the Christ, our Master. Not only is He our Master, but we have become joint heirs with Him and adopted sons of God. Through obedience and continual conformance to His word we are strengthened and our minds are renewed, having Faith.

Particularly here in America, we live in a time of ease and stability. Unlike our brothers and sisters who have been persecuted and tortured for Christ in other countries, in America Christians have it pretty easy: God has blessed us with abundance and we have the provisions of kings.

Dear beloved there is change coming; it has already started. Our sanctuaries and places of worship are crowded with the rotting corpses of philosophy, psychology and modernized 'religion'. As the rot works it's way through the meat, we, the salt of the earth, stand as the only preservative against this decay. Through the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, our sword, the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation, we go out as lambs amongst wolves in the service of and in the empowerment of the Spirit of God to bring the Gospel of our salvation to the lost as well as for the edification of our fellow brethren.

Many of the flies that swarm around the rotting meat claim to be our brethren; like dogs, they desire the rot and viciously tear at it. They have clothed themselves as lambs, having a smooth tongue and a gentle voice; full of concern and ‘love’ they are quick to spout out their love and the love they have for God. Like piranhas, they shred off the flesh of an unsuspecting victim the moment the unfortunate one steps foot below the surface of the water and all that is left is the skeleton and a dissipating circle of blood; the victim is not even able to see the malevolence, only beholding the ominous foaming up of the water.

The sins of our nation and this unrepentant modern Christendom is a recipe for destruction. In America, persecution has been looming under the surface of the water, but there will come a day when the danger will come out of the deep and devour it’s prey right on the shore, out in broad daylight. This day is coming soon with the rise of modern religion’s moving away from Scripture; in it’s drunken, religious debauchery, it will no longer be satisfied by the wine of the world, but will long to drink the blood of the saints.

Brethren, may we prepare our hearts and minds for the coming age, strengthening our faith in Christ by His word and washing our wives and children in the word of God, that they may be strong when the day comes. It has been the pattern of persecution that those who ate with us and drank with us, calling themselves our brethren, will be the very ones to give us the Judas kiss of death; they may even be members of your own families. It is only the word of God and the Spirit of God that will sustain us.

But, let us not look to the things of this earth but to the Kingdom of God, knowing that those who have served have a reward laid up for them, that it is a privilege to suffer as Christ suffered. Not that we died or were imprisoned because we rose up against the government in defiance, murdered, stole, lied or some other sin that violates the Scriptures, but because we lifted up the name of Jesus, by which all men can be saved, because we preached the Gospel out on the streets, because we stood up for the doctrines that Jesus set up through the Scriptures or because we lived moral, peaceable lives unspotted by this defiled age, through the power of Christ.

Knowing that our home is not presently here but is in eternity, in Heaven with God, where there is no death, destruction or sin, keep in mind that we will answer to God for our lives, for our thoughts, words and deeds. Presently, let us not be consumed by covetousness, that when God has blessed us with more than enough money we gave it to the fatherless, the widows, the hungry and most importantly to the preaching of the Gospel of Christ, lest we do like the wicked to whom bigger is better and more is never enough.

There may come a day when The Church will no longer be enticed by their bigger and bigger buildings, their ever-evolving ministries and the pattern of the Sunday experience; instead The Church will be under persecution, meeting in small groups and will only be doing two things, which the Scriptures lays forth for The Body of Christ to do: preaching the Gospel of Christ and edifying the Body.

Many of us will lose our homes, our jobs and even our children or wives because of the Gospel. The Church will not be associated with denominations or non-denominations under this persecution and will not be centered around one man that we listen to each Sunday, but instead, it will have men whom God has raised up in the small groups to discharge the duties of ministry.

As is the pattern of the persecuted Church, it will thrive, producing real believers that know professing Christ as Lord may mean prison time, torture or death. The Church may not have large worship teams or sound systems, lest they be heard and caught. The Church may meet in odd places, like prison or fields, abandoned office buildings or even homes, but the days of the crystal cathedral will have passed. There may be still those whom are wealthy; their money will not be invested in their portfolios, cars or vacations but will instead be providing for the needs of the saints, like food, clothes and shelter. This will not give them a tax deduction, because all non-profit organizations will probably be the first evidence of persecution, that in order to retain their non-profit status they must reject Christ and His word as being intolerant of people’s sexual or religious preferences, and that to accept Christ and his Word may mean being charged with ‘hate crimes’ or even terrorism. In fact, being a Christian may soon be considered the lowest form of life, just under the murderers.

It is possible that, in an attempt to besmirch the Body of Christ, many Christians will be framed for crimes that are abominable in the sight of God. In spite of all this The Church will thrive, and faith will grow.

The question is: What are you doing now to prepare the members of The Church right here in America for this coming persecution?

Are you teaching the men the Word of God, that they may stand firm with their families in the face of persecution?

Are you instead buying bigger and bigger buildings, consuming yourself with the cares of this world?

By your lavish examples of ‘bigger is better’ ministry are you drowning the brethren in covetousness?

Are you creating and have created false converts via a watered-down Gospel for the sake of the tithe or some kind of status? Chiefly, these eventually will be the ones to rise up and persecute The Church, and the blood of those saints will be on your hands as well.

Have you prepared your wife and children with the Word of God, by warning them of covetousness and lasciviousness and all other sins which lead to a shipwrecked faith? Are you washing your family in the word of God in preparation?

Most importantly, are you personally living obediently to the profession of faith that you claim? As Jesus said, ‘if you love me, obey my commands.’ John 14:16

"At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

26. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.

27. All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

28. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Matthew 11:25-30

- Steven